Join me by linking up on Suscipio to thank God for this past week.
This week, stained glass windows and icons have captured my attention.
I even created pages for Catholic art on my blog this week because I refused to hide them on Pinterest. When the Holy Spirit inspires artists to create art with, through and in Him, their creations touch our inner selves. They are not only beautiful but also imbued with a mystical essence which gives them spiritual power.
When light shines through stained glass windows, they can lift our souls up from our own narrow miserable awareness into His presence as we contemplate them. Light is more powerful than darkness and beautiful colourful glass works of art can touch us with a mystical, heavenly light that moves our hearts and souls towards God. No wonder stained glass windows were developed in the Middle Ages as a way of teaching illiterate parishioners the basic Christian message and inspiring them to live holy, prayerful lives.
Icon painters fast and pray as they paint, layering colours one on top of the other. This technique gives the icon a unique richness and depth. The effect of this technique is most obvious in the eyes which do not seem flat but rather realistic with depth and soul. The icons themselves have absorbed the Holy Spirit and really are holy.They radiate the power of God and wordlessly, draw us into His heart, just like a sacramental.
Because we live on earth, in “earthen vessels”, one of the ways to reach our spirit is through our senses. That’s why sacramental churches use incense, bells, candles, stained glass, icons, statues, holy pictures and holy water, touching our sense of smell, sight, hearing and touch. It is a way of waking up our slumbering spirit buried deep within us. Sacramental and religious art help create a peaceful atmosphere of prayer in our churches and on my blog, I hope.
joy of nine9 
The are so beautiful.
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they sure are
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What a wonderful post. Thank you.
God bless.
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I once read that Jesus is the light that shines through the stained glass and that it touches us all differently but in Unity. (or words to that affect, I’m sure I didn’t get that right).
I love these beautiful art pieces. Thanks for sharing!
Emily
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what a wonderful explanation; of course it is Jesus’s light because He IS the light of the world.
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Light, images, and color converging in our minds and souls. Thank you for this post 🙂
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well said, I should put these comments in my post!
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Melanie, I’ve always loved stained glass. A person can sit and meditate on the symbols and beautiful images for hours. Icons really grew on me as my spiritual life developed. That icon of Mary reaching out to Jesus is one I’d love to have on a holy card. Her red cloak is the color of the “Niobe” clematis I planted on our south fence. It’s center is gold. Every time it blooms I gaze at it and think of her.
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I react the same as you do. When I first saw that icon I was rocked to my core- the colours seem to nourish my soul
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Melanie, where did you get the icon of Mary reaching out to Jesus? I would like to use the image in a blog post.
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I found it on Pinterest lots of repins and a couple false leads as to where it came from but I am going to try again right now
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